Metal car roof



Feb. 3, 1942. v. E. WEST METAL CAR ROOF Filed March 27, 1941 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 3, 1942. v. E. EST 2,271,514

METAL CAR ROOF Filed March 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I fig, v/r

Patented Feb. 3, 1942 2,271,514 METAL CAR ROOF" Victor E. West, Chicago,111., assignor to'Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company,

a corporation of Delaware Application March 27, 1941, Serial No. 385,413

6 Claims. (c1. s-5.4)

My invention relates to metal car roofs of the type that has hatchwaystherein. Heretofore practice to support the hatch frame either bysupplemental carlines that extended from side plate to side plate of thecar or by beams or supporting members that extended longitudinally ofthe car from carline to carline or by both carlines and longitudinalsupporting members framed together. The principal object of the presentinvention is to devise a construction that will dispense with both thesupplemental carlines and the longitudinal supporting members K andthereby save considerable material, lessen the weight and simplify andfacilitate the work of construction.

The invention consists principally in utilizing the hatch frames onopposite sides of the car as a structural portion of a beam that spansfrom side plate to side plate of the car. It also consists in the partsand in the combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed. V

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification andwherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur:

Fig. l is a fragmentary plan View of a car roof construction embodyingmy invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the roof on theline 22 in Fig. 1..

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section similar to Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken on the line 44in Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section taken on the line55 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a vertical fragmentary section on the line 66 in Fig. 4,

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the seamreinforcing members used at the ridge of the roof,

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the seam Fig. 11 is a fragmentaryvertical section on the line |I'Il in Fig. 10.

In the accompanying drawings, my invention is illustrated in connectionwith a freight car of the covered hopper type wherein the roof of thecar is provided between adjacent carlines throughout its length withseries of hatchway openings, through which the car may be loaded withcement and other loose materials or bulk commodities. According to thepresent invention, the roof of the car is made up of metal roof sheets Athat extend from side plate B to side plate B of the car. The sideplates B have upstanding flanges B along their inner edges and the roofsheets have their eaves end portions A turned down over said flanges andsecured flatwise to the outer faces thereof. One longitudinal sidemargin of each roof sheet extends continuously from side plate to sideplate and has an upstandingflange l thereon; and adjacent sheets arelaid with their continuous upstanding flanges I alongside each other.These flanges are covered by a seam cap 2 that also extends from sideplate to side plate. These continuous upstanding flanges I and the seamcap 2 enclosing them are rigidly secured together, preferably byhorizontal rivets 3 and thereby form a seam construction C thatfunctions as an outside carline.

Each roof sheet has two rectangular openings or notches 4 cut in thebody portion thereof and extending through the side of the sheetopposite the flange thereof. What remains of notched side of the sheethas upstanding flanges 5 formed along its margins between the notches oropenings 4 and the eaves ends of the sheet reinforcing members used atthe eaves of the and an upstanding flange 6 between said notches oropenings. Metal reinforcing plates 1 are located between and with theirtop or outer edges substantially flush with the corresponding edges ofthe flanges -5 of adjacent sheets; andsaid plates and flanges are thenwelded together, as at 8, along their flush edges to form an upstandingseam or rib D of considerable capacity for carrying load. A metalreinforcing plate 9 is also located between the flanges 6 of adjacentsheets; and said plate and flanges are welded together, as at IU, alongthe top edges of the flanges to form a rigid load-supporting seam or ribD Each plate 9 extends above the tops of the flanges 6 and has ahorizontal flange II that supports a running board I2. This horizontalflange increases the resistance of the seam D against deflection and, ifdesired, the lower margin of the reinforcing plate 9 may also beprovided with a similar flange. The roof sheets are alike and alternatesheets are turned end for end so that the rectangular openings 4 inadjacent sheets are brought into register and cooperate to form thehatchway openings of the roof, there being one opening on each side ofthe running board l2 between the adjacent seams C that constituteoutside carlines.

In each of the rectangular hatch openings, formed by adjacent roofsheets, is mounted a rectangular metal hatch frame [3. In theconstruction shown, the openings for the hatch frames [3 are located inthe tops of raised flat topped strengthening ribs or panels I4 thatextend from side plate to side plate between adjacent seam caps 2 andare formed by pressing up the notched portions of adjacent sheets fromend to end thereof. As shown in the drawings, the sheets are flangedupwardly along the edges of the notches or openings 4 therein to providesubstantially continuous upstanding flanges l5 that fit around and arewelded, as at [6, along their top edges to the outer side faces of thehatch frames.

As shown in the drawings, the ends of the com bined seam reinforcingplates and running board supports 9 abut against and are welded, as atH, to the sides of the hatch frames i3. The inner ends of the seamreinforcing plates 1 also abut against and are welded as at [8, to thesides of the hatch frames. The outer end portion of each reinforcingplates has a deep vertical notch IS in its lower edge so as to permit itto straddle the upstanding flange B of the adjacent side plate B. Thenotch I9 is wide enough to receive an anchor plate 20, which fits snuglybetween the inner vertical edge of said notch and the inner faces of theupstanding flange of the side plate. The anchor plate 20 is welded, asat 2!, in the notch of the plate I and extends on opposite sides thereofwhere it is secured, preferably by rivets 22 flatwise to the inner faceof the upstanding flange of the side plate, these rivets also serving tosecure the downturned eaves end of the roof sheet fiatwise to the outerface of said flanges. of said side plate.

The roof is also supported at each end of each of the seams C by anangleshaped supporting bracket 23 having one flange riveted or otherwiserigidly secured flatwise to the inner face of the flange B of the sideplate and the other flange extending inwardly beneath adjacent roofsheets to support the same.

By the arrangement described, the hatch frames l3 together with thereinforced seam D that extends from hatch frame to hatch frame andtogether also with the short seams D that extend from hatch frames toside plates B are integrated into a construction that operates as a beamthat carries directly to the side plates a considerable portion of theload that originates around the longitudinal medial line in the regionmidway between adjacent outside carlines C; and due to the beam actionof this construction, it is unnecessary to use either supplementalcarlines for carrying the hatchway loads directly to the side plates orto use supplemental members for carrying such loads to the outsidecarlines and thence to the side plates.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 9 seam reinforcing plates 19extend continuously from side plate to side plate and are supportedthereby and secured thereto in the same manner as the seam reinforcingplates 1. The plates 19 take the places of the seam reinforcing membersI and 9 above mentioned and extend continuous- 1y through the hatchwayopenings and thus serve, after the manner of carlines, to carry part ofthe load directly to the side plates. In this modification, thecontinuous plate 19 is fitted into deep notches 24 provided therefor atthe bottom of the hatch frames I3a, and said plate and the frames arewelded together, as at 25, on opposite sides of said notches. In orderto facilitate locating of the hatch frame I3a, the continuous seamreinforcing plate 19 has longitudinally spaced notches 26 in the upperedge thereof adapted to receive the portions of the inner and outer sidewalls of said frame located immediately above the notches 24 thatstraddle said reinforcing plate.

What I claim is:

1. A car roof construction comprising side plates and a metal roofspanning from side plate to side plate and sustained thereby, said roofhaving spaced stiffening ribs that extend from side plate to side plateand having openings spaced apart crosswise of the roof between adjacentribs, and metal hatch frames rigidly secured in said openings, said roofhaving other stifiening ribs that extend crosswise of the roof fromhatch frame to hatch frame and are rigidly connected thereto, and otherstiffening ribs that extend from each hatch frame to the side plateadjacent thereto and are rigidly secured to the respective hatch framesand side plates.

2. A car roof construction comprising side plates and metal roofspanning from side plate to .side plate and rigidly secured thereto,said roof having spaced rigid upstanding seams that extend from sideplate to side plate and having openings spaced apart on opposite sidesof the ridge of the roof between adjacent seams, metal hatch framesrigidly secured in said openings, said' roof having other rigidupstanding seams that extend crosswise of the roof from batch frame tohatch frame, reinforcing plates embodled in said last mentioned seamsand rigidly connected to said hatch frames, other rigid upstanding seamsthat extend from each hatch frame to the side plate adjacent thereto,and reinforcing plates embodied in the last mentioned seams and rigidlysecured to the respective hatch framesand side plates, said firstmentioned plates having portions thereof extended above seams in whichthey are embodied to provide supports fora running board for said roof,and said second' mentioned plates having notches in the lower edgesthereof that straddle portions of the side plates adjacent thereto, andplates rigidly secured in said notches and rigidly secured to saidportions of said side plates.

3. A car roof construction comprising side plates and a metal roofspanning from side plate to side plate and sustained thereby, said roofhaving spaced rigid upstanding seams that extend from side plate to sideplate and having openings spaced apart on opposite sides of the ridge ofthe roof between adjacent seams, metal hatch frames rigidly secured insaid openings, said room having other rigid upstanding seams that extendcrosswise of the roof from hatch frame to hatch frame and having otherrigid upstanding seams that extend from each hatch frame to the sideplate adjacent thereto in line with said second mentioned seams, andreinforcing plates embodied in said alined second and third mentionedseams, said reinforcing plates extending continuously from side plate toside plate through the walls of adjacent hatch frames.

4. A car roof construction comprising side plates and a metal roofspanning from side plate to side plate and sustained thereby, said roofhaving spaced rigid upstanding seams that extend from side plate to sideplate and having openings spaced apart on opposite sides of the ridge ofthe roof between adjacent seams, metal hatch frames rigidly secured insaid openings, said roof having other rigid upstanding seams that extendcrosswise of the roof from hatch frame to hatch frame and having otherrigid upstanding seams that extend from each hatch frame to the sideplate adjacent thereto, in line with said second mentioned seams, andreinforcing plates embodied in said alined second and third mentionedseams, said reinforcing plates extending continuously from side plate toside plate through the walls of adjacent hatch frames, said reinforcingplates being rigidly secured to said side plates and having their upperedges notched to receive portions of said walls of said hatch frames andto provide supports for a longitudinal running board for said roof.

5. A car roof construction comprising side plates, roof sheets extendingfrom side plate to side plate and provided with upstanding flanges alongtheir side margins, each sheet having two rectangular openings cut inone side thereof, alternate sheets being reversed endwise to bring theirside openings into register and form hatchway openings, means forrigidly securing together adjacent flanges of the uncut sides of saidroof sheets, hatch frames mounted in said hatch openings, andreinforcing members between and secured to the adjacent portions of thecut sides of said sheets and to the hatch frames with the outerreinforcing members sccured to the side plates.

6. A car roof construction comprising side plates, sheets extending fromside plate to side plate and provided with upstanding flanges alongtheir side margins, each sheet having two rectangular openings cut inone side thereof equidistant from the ends thereof, alternate sheetsbeing reversed endwise to bring their side openings into register andfrom hatchway openings, means for rigidly securing together adjacentflanges of the uncut sides of said sheets, hatch frames mounted in saidhatch openings and secured to the sheets, and reinforcing membersbetween and welded to the adjacent flanges of the cut sides of thesheets and to the hatch frames, said reinforcing members extendingcontinuously from side plate to side plate through the lower portions ofsaid side frames and having their ends sustained by and rigidly connected to said side plates.

VICTOR E. WEST.

